Setting realistic goals and monitoring the correct metrics to pull together a successful SEO campaign might become more difficult than expected if you don't set and manage clients' expectations, explains Julie Shumaker, who offers the "magic formula for success."

If the phrase "What do you mean, we aren't on page one of Google?" rings all too familiar, you might want to heed Shumaker's recommendations. "A myriad of elements affect position with the search engines, and moving toward those top listings takes time and effort," she writes. "You understand this, but do your stakeholders? Although SEO is an effective ...Read the whole story...

Google Map users know that when they click on the small dots it gives them useful information about specific places in the area. Arnold Zafra tells us that today the new layer for local search results is available on maps.google.com, but Google plans to bring this function to other services as well.

Zafra points to a few good examples on Google's Official Lat Long Blog. For instance, you might find a new coffee shop just around the corner from your house in Seattle that didn't make it to the first page of a search query, because Seattle has ...Read the whole story...

If you own a new business trying to get noticed by search engines, you might find it helpful to learn about a tool called GetListed.org. The site identifies if your company has a local listing in Google, Yahoo, Live Search and Best of the Web. Using an example of a new Web site, Rebecca explains how to use the tool.

She also details a few other nice touches on Get Listed, such as a feature showing ways to rank higher in the local search engines and a great source center featuring local search marketing advice, information and tips.Read the whole story...

Mark Johnson has taken issue with an article referring to SEO as "snake oil," and wants to know how the columnist decided SEO doesn't work. Johnson doesn't name the magazine or the columnist, but a search on the quote he provides returns an article from John Dvorak at PC magazine. (Thank goodness for SEO.)

In fact, Dvorak incorrectly tried one aspect of SEO -- optimizing URL structures -- according to Johnson. "He screwed it up and then blames our industry?" he writes.

Cyclical Web traffic can have a major impact on trend comparisons across months of data, according to Daniel O'Neil, who provides an example from a Pure Visibility client. He emphasizes that "even with the introduction of advanced segmentation, motion charts, and other awesome features there are real-time traffic patterns that can create major errors in your analytics reporting if you don't account for them."

Through graphs and charts, O'Neil compares traffic pattern and suggests week-to-week rather than month-to-month comparisons. The calendar function in Google Analytics makes this much easier to explain to clients, and you should see a ...Read the whole story...